26 Aug 2015

Unsurprisingly seeing as they have been sprayed, dry-brushed in three different colours, had four different colours painted on and then all thirty six panels have had individually uniquely printed transfers added. Sheesh! I really do make work for myself. Still I'm quite pleased with the outcome.

One really good part of the spartan scenics is their modularity and in particular the side panels on the hubs as they don't get glued in place so that you can hook them up with other scenic sets. This is what led me to the idea that they could be reversible. Great for Infinity with lots of more brightly coloured adverts making the set less grimy and industrial.

What next?

I should be painting infantry but I've also got two more sets of the Spartan Scenics to do. Yup. Even more of this stuff! I love it!

18 Aug 2015

They are a mix of different Scibor marine bodies coupled with GW terminator arms and some anvil shoulder pads. I was going for a mixed look to represent the experimental nature of the Terminator armour during the 30K era.

Given that there are different terminator armour types in HH I thought the different styles would help give the different units an individual feel.

I've always quite fancied a go at dropzone commander (henceforth DzC), but I was concerned it would be yet another one of those games that we buy and never use...... So I was heartened to see the sheer size of the 4ground terrain collection that the silverback was putting together! As it looked so smashing (and wasn't cheap) I was convinced that this game was actually going to get a bit of traction and that's all a magpie gamer like me needs!

Fortunately the armies already chosen were the ones not in the starter set, and the starter set is a ridiculously well priced piece of kit that I just had to do it. This must be some kind of record for me as it was delivered Friday afternoon and here is the completed UCM starter models!

First up, the infantry with their transports.......

I decided on an urban camo scheme and the cunning use of blu-tack, spray cans and washes made it a doddle. I went for 3 colours to add interest and I really rather like how it's come out. The plastic used by Hawk Wargames is amazing. No mold lines AT ALL. None. Zero. Zilch. I've never had a kit in any medium that had none. The vehicles are absolutely fantastic, hugely detailed for such small things. The infantry are mildly disappointing, being very flat and featureless, but 10mm is quite an abstract scale for people. Oh and the vehicles are amazing enough to make me forgive that.

Next up are the tanks, three AA tanks and 3 AT tanks, all from the same chassi with a different gun and turret.

I was pretty cautious with how I modelled the guns as they are on ball sockets and so could really point high up in the air, but I was wary of transportation issues and breakages, so kept it nice and simple.

Finally, the drop ships. These are really well put together, I wasn't brave enough to paint the lines on the see through cockpit but I'm pleased with how the scheme turned out on them.

14 Aug 2015

Yep, it's another one of those "I haven't posted in ages, real life got in the way" blog posts that seem to be everywhere, pretty much all of the time. A combination of lost painting mojo, nothing inspiring and launching myself on a couple of large projects with no end in sight has meant that I haven't posted completed figures since March...... And they were just base coat + wash level bystanders.

But a week or so ago, I was moving the box with my salamanders in around the garage for the umpteenth time when I said to myself "you know, I should just get these done" and I was away!

So, first up are the rapiers. Up to three in a battery in 30k, so of course, I had to get three. That's one of the attractions of 30k for me, large formations and batteries of things as opposed to one on its own.

The same weathering tricks as the salamanders that I've already completed and the three laser destroyers give them the long range anti-tank punch that they were lacking.

These next chaps have been sitting around to the stage of not having left arms, weapons or heads for an absolute age. I couldn't work out what weapons to give them...... Then I just decided that it had to be flamers as that's the signature salamander weapon. Now, these aren't the 30k flamers, I like the newer ones and decided that if anyone would be pushing the boundaries of flame weapons and coming up with new options, it would be the salamanders (and it saved me a few quid too!)

Next was a bit of housekeeping, two sargeants, made possible by the two spare crested helmets that I didn't have to use on the rapiers (each pair of crew comes with one). These are for the two infantry squads I've already completed and I hope you'll forgive me for converting a newer mark of armour..... But then it will be artificer armour after all!

One has the shield from some Warhammer skink riders on his chest, mostly to cover the eagle. Combi flamers and power fists for both as the signature weapon and the power first to represent the slow and purposeful nature of the legion.

Saving the best 'til last, this is my HQ figure. Now, the silverback was a jolly nice chap when he was at Salute and picked up the "show only" HH figures for myself and Eddie. Mine happened to be an alpha legion leader, so whilst I seriously toyed with the idea of starting an alpha legion force to use him in (seriously, I need help), a flick through the HH legion rules for salamanders provided my answer though. The model had a snake and skull motif, so a chaplain sounded like just the ticket. There is a special salamanders character who is the first chaplain and holds a thunder hammer made of a single block of obsidian, wears artificer armour and rocks a dragonscale cloak. Here is my take on him

The head is the most ornate one from the salamanders helmet sprue that forge world do, most of the thunder hammer is from a standard 40k termie one and the head of the hammer is from the alternate dwarf weapon in the first 1980's box of 60 plastic Warhammer warriors (10 identical warriors from 6 different races). The dragonscale cloak is the neck of a warhammer troglodon........

I tried to capture the realy ornate shoulder pad here (excuse my hand being in the photo, it was the only way I could find, not being very good with cameras, to dim the shot enough to try to catch it with out too much glare)

There we have it, enough salamanders for a decent sized army now and hopefully I'll remain inspired to get yet more done very shortly!

Wargaming Links

Welcome!!!

Welcome one and all

Well this blog has been running for a few years now. It has gone through peaks andtroughs of activity as real life forces our collective hobby time to take a back burner. But we are still here and working hard.

We have taken a group decision to drive up the number of posts and you will see that we have started to build up an impressive set of Horus Heresy 30 k armies as well.

We have also launched into a wider portfolio of games of all shapes and sizes.

The list of games you will see in the posts just about cover the full spectrum of the games in common usage out there. Expect to see stuff about 40k, 30k, Pulp City, Pulp Alley, DZC, Infinity, 7TV and others. Maybe. Assuming we get to them all.